Sport reporter Danika Manson: ‘I’m in a man’s world’

Danika Manson has exclusively opened up about her early days as a sport reporter with Roz Kelly and Erin Molan, revealing she had always known she’d be in a male dominated industry.

Sports reporter Danika Mason believes she was always destined to work in a male-dominated industry.

“When I left school, I started an engineering degree at university, which is considered

a male-dominated career,” the Nine Network broadcaster tells Stellar On Friday.

“I feel I’m the most critical person of myself.” (Picture: Daniel Nadel)

“I went to an all-girls school from Year 7 to Year 10, but then I went across to [Sydney’s] Oakhill College, which is an all-boys school that becomes co-ed in Years 11 and 12. So I’ve always been someone who hangs out with the boys, who’s always friends with them.”

While she’s gone on to forge strong friendships with her male colleagues, Mason acknowledges the hard yards done by the women who came before her.

“I feel like I came through at a time when I really didn’t have to deal with a lot of the issues that the women before me had to. I feel lucky,” she says.

“When I came in, there were already a number of females in the industry. I’ve never had a situation where I’m looking around going, ‘Oh hang on a second, I’m the only female here.’”

Mason, who recently became engaged to Todd Liubinskas, the fitness director at Men’s Health magazine, is also great friends with her female colleagues.

Find more exclusives in this Sunday’s Stellar.

“When I first started at Nine, Roz [Kelly], Erin [Molan] and I were all in the newsroom together. Many years ago now,” she adds with a laugh.

“We’ve all come full circle and now we’re all working on Wide World Of Sports together... Some of my best friends work in sports media.

We have such a nice group of females who work in the sports industry in Australia.”

Even though working on television means Mason sometimes has criticism thrown her way, the sports reporter takes it in her stride.

“I feel I’m the most critical person of myself,” she explains.

“So if other people are criticising me as well, I’m thinking, these are already things that I think and am worried about. It’s important not to read into [the comments]. Just delete it. See you later. I don’t take it to heart.”

Originally published as Sport reporter Danika Manson: ‘I’m in a man’s world’